1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to balustrades, and more specifically to balustrades suitable for transportation apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Balustrades are provided on each side of moving walks and escalators, and a moving handrail is mounted on the top of each balustrade. When the balustrade is formed of glass panels, the upper edge of the glass supports the handrail guide, and the centerline of the handrail may be oriented directly over the center of the glass. The handrail is thus positioned closely adjacent to the moving portion of the walk or escalator. When the balustrade is formed of opaque panels, such as metal panels, an elaborate support structure must be provided to support the handrail guide and handrail, as well as to position and hold the opaque panels. The handrail guide thus does not end up over the centerline of the balustrade panels, requiring an inner upper deck to be provided between the handrail guide and balustrade panels.
It would be desirable to be able to locate the handrail guide directly over the opaque balustrade panels, to enable passengers to stand closer to the handrail. This would also eliminate the additional cost of the inner deck, and it would improve the appearance of the transportation apparatus. However, these objectives should be achieved without incurring offsetting additional cost due to the support arrangement resorted to in order to achieve the requisite mechanical strength.
The balustrades and handrail guides are relatively high cost structures, because they must be pleasing in appearance as well as rugged and reliable. These requirements usually necessitate the use of high cost materials, such as stainless steel. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to reduce the cost of the balustrades and hand rail guide structures, if the cost reductions can be achieved without sacrificing strength, dimensional stability and appearance.
The balustrade panels are frequently damaged, such as scratched or bent during usage, with replacement thereof being time consuming and therefore costly. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to quickly replace damaged balustrade panels, as well as to facilitate the installation of the panels at the time of field installation of the transportation apparatus.
The handrail guide is a costly composite structure, formed of metal with special low coefficient of friction strips interposed between the metal and the inside of the handrail. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to simplify and reduce the cost of the handrail guide, if this objective can be achieved without deleteriously effecting handrail life.